Organizing with self-organization?: the ramifications of the strategic use of Facebook in informal civic activism

Rui Alexandre Novais

doi:10.4018/978-1-6684-7472-3.ch005

Organizing with self-organization? the ramifications of the strategic use of Facebook in informal civic activism

Rui Alexandre Novais

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Abstract

This chapter aims at exploring the ramifications of the strategic usage of Facebook in informal civic activism against the yet-to-be-studied case of an African third wave democratic country. Focusing on the emergence of Sokols up to the unprecedented 2017 street demonstration in Cape Verde, it reviews findings from a multidimensional empiric-holistic method that addresses the associated role of Facebook. The study confirms the existence of a heterarchical and distributed leadership alongside a horizontal and collaborative decision-making arrangement in a Facebook-mediated civic activism movement. While corroborating the tendency of grassroots activism in adopting a hybrid blend of online and offline, it concludes that Facebook was used in support of the largely self-organized Sokols movement and the loosely structured street demonstration held in São Vicente. However, besides not necessarily changing the fundamental structures of the civic activism movement—including organization, leadership, decision-making and protest staging—Facebook only supplemented the offline practices.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Research anthology on social media's influence on government, politics, and social movements
Publisher	IGI Global Publishing
Chapter	5
Pages	75-97
Number of pages	23
ISBN (Electronic)	9781668474730
ISBN (Print)	9781668474723
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-7472-3.ch005
Publication status	Published - 2023

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

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10.4018/978-1-6684-7472-3.ch005

CEFH: Centre for Philosophical and Humanistic Studies
Soares da Silva, A. (PI), Nobre, B. (Researcher), Melo, A. M. M. (Researcher), Dias, P. C. (Researcher), Balsas, Á. (Assistant Professor), Pereira, A. (Researcher), Lind, A. (Researcher), Azevedo, Â. (Researcher), Leite, Â. (Researcher), Pinto, A. P. (Researcher), Henriques, M. (Researcher), Gonçalves, A. (Researcher), Maia, B. R. (Researcher), Cardoso, C. P. (Researcher), Estevão, C. (Researcher), Morais, C. B. (Researcher), Morujão, C. (Researcher), Macedo, C. D. C. M. (Researcher), Costa, E. C. V. (Researcher), Morgado, E. (Researcher), Raguso, F. (Researcher), Oliveira, F. (Researcher), Bolinhas, I. (Researcher), Oliveira, Í. M. (Researcher), Silva, J. A. O. C. D. (Researcher), Pinto, J. C. O. (Researcher), Braga, J. P. (Researcher), Martins, J. C. D. O. (Researcher), Lopes, J. M. M. (Researcher), Lóia, L. (Researcher), Gil, M. M. (Researcher), Cunha, M. A. D. (Researcher), Pimentel, M. C. (Researcher), Pulido, M. (Researcher), Lopes, M. J. F. (Researcher), Magalhães, L. (Researcher), Gonçalves, M. (Researcher), Peixoto, R. (Researcher), Novais, R. A. (Researcher), Dimas, S. (Researcher), Afonso, S. (Researcher), Relvas, S. R. (Researcher), Filho, A. L. S. (Student), Antunes, A. (Student), Galvão, A. I. (Student), Lemos, C. F. D. L. R. (Student), Tages, E. (Student), Lima, J. B. C. (Student), Vale, M. J. P. M. M. D. (Student), Moura, M. (Student), Oliveira, P. (Student), Batista, R. B. (Student), Cunha, R. (Student), Costa, S. (Student), Fernandes, S. (Student), Souza, T. P. D. (Student), Mevis, A. (Student), Abrantes, A. M. (Researcher), Salazar, A. M. P. L. (Researcher), Pessôa, C. (Researcher), Duque, J. M. (Researcher), Rodrigues, A. (Researcher), Esteves, A. (Researcher), Silva, C. V. D. (Researcher), Marques, E. (Researcher), Andrade, J. G. (Researcher), Expósito, N. (Researcher), McDade, P. (Researcher), Petrella, S. (Researcher), Gouveia, S. S. (Researcher), Gama, J. (Emeritus Professor), Castillo, J. A. G. D. (Researcher), Brito, J. H. S. D. (Emeritus Professor), Pinto, J. R. C. (Emeritus Professor), Júnior, M. G. S. (Emeritus Professor), Lobo, F. (Researcher), Garcia, M. R. D. S. (Emeritus Professor), Mota, S. M. (Researcher), Mineiro, A. (Researcher), López-Sánchez, C. (Student), Costa, C. S. (Student), Mamas, C. (Researcher), Rodrigues, C. D. J. M. (Student), Coutinho, E. R. M. (Student), Albuquerque, E. (Student), Brunetto, G. M. (Student), Mello, H. (Student), Júnior, H. D. A. (Researcher), Bazmandegan, M. (Student), Brandão, M. C. (Student), Forjaz, M. J. B. P. (Student), Abraçado, J. (Student), Oliveira, M. R. D. (Student), Rúbio, M. G. (Student), Akoni-Mensah, M. (Student), Rocha, R. B. D. (Student), Tralhão, C. (Researcher), Costa, A. (Researcher) & Silva, S. (PI)
1/01/20 → 31/12/25
Project: Research

Cite this

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title = "Organizing with self-organization?: the ramifications of the strategic use of Facebook in informal civic activism",

abstract = "This chapter aims at exploring the ramifications of the strategic usage of Facebook in informal civic activism against the yet-to-be-studied case of an African third wave democratic country. Focusing on the emergence of Sokols up to the unprecedented 2017 street demonstration in Cape Verde, it reviews findings from a multidimensional empiric-holistic method that addresses the associated role of Facebook. The study confirms the existence of a heterarchical and distributed leadership alongside a horizontal and collaborative decision-making arrangement in a Facebook-mediated civic activism movement. While corroborating the tendency of grassroots activism in adopting a hybrid blend of online and offline, it concludes that Facebook was used in support of the largely self-organized Sokols movement and the loosely structured street demonstration held in S{\~a}o Vicente. However, besides not necessarily changing the fundamental structures of the civic activism movement—including organization, leadership, decision-making and protest staging—Facebook only supplemented the offline practices. ",

author = "Novais, \{Rui Alexandre\}",

year = "2023",

doi = "10.4018/978-1-6684-7472-3.ch005",

language = "English",

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T2 - the ramifications of the strategic use of Facebook in informal civic activism

AU - Novais, Rui Alexandre

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AB - This chapter aims at exploring the ramifications of the strategic usage of Facebook in informal civic activism against the yet-to-be-studied case of an African third wave democratic country. Focusing on the emergence of Sokols up to the unprecedented 2017 street demonstration in Cape Verde, it reviews findings from a multidimensional empiric-holistic method that addresses the associated role of Facebook. The study confirms the existence of a heterarchical and distributed leadership alongside a horizontal and collaborative decision-making arrangement in a Facebook-mediated civic activism movement. While corroborating the tendency of grassroots activism in adopting a hybrid blend of online and offline, it concludes that Facebook was used in support of the largely self-organized Sokols movement and the loosely structured street demonstration held in São Vicente. However, besides not necessarily changing the fundamental structures of the civic activism movement—including organization, leadership, decision-making and protest staging—Facebook only supplemented the offline practices.

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DO - 10.4018/978-1-6684-7472-3.ch005

M3 - Chapter

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EP - 97

BT - Research anthology on social media's influence on government, politics, and social movements

PB - IGI Global Publishing

ER -

Organizing with self-organization? the ramifications of the strategic use of Facebook in informal civic activism

Abstract

UN SDGs

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CEFH: Centre for Philosophical and Humanistic Studies

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